March 2013

Responding to the government’s Strategic Environmental Assessment environmental report for further onshore oil and gas licensing,  CPRE National Office have issued a 14 page document raising fundamental concerns about shale gas exploration and extraction, otherwise known as "fracking".
The report, downloadable below, warns that:

Seize the opportunity to voice your opposition to a second runway, which would change Sussex forever, and not for the better.

GAL are spending millions on a misleading PR exercise. Don’t be fooled.

Gatwick Airport Limited (GAL) are a consortium of 4 overseas venture capitalists who show no long-term interest in the local economy, residents or the surrounding countryside. They are spending millions to promote their plans for a second runway, apparently not to solve any airport capacity crisis in the UK but to boost the sale price of Gatwick. GAL are widely expected to sell the airport – as soon as they can get their plans approved.

Plans for a second runway would devastate the Sussex countryside for miles around.

A new runway would mean twice as many aircraft in the sky, twice the pollution, twice the climate damage, twice the noise – and new flight paths over currently peaceful areas. Sussex would be changed forever.

But the problems will not just come from the skies. GAL claim that the number of passengers will more than double and that there would be 17,500 additional jobs around Gatwick.

Where would 17,500 new workers around the airport live? How will they get to work?

Perhaps a second runway could bring 17,500 additional jobs. This may sound like a good idea, but there is very little unemployment around Gatwick. These jobs will not be snapped up by locals but instead by people commuting in or new people moving to the Crawley area – in which case they will need new homes.

A new market town?

17,500 jobs would require around 12,000-13,000 homes in addition to those that were proposed in the old South East Plan. There would need to be a new town equivalent to the size of Haywards Heath or East Grinstead. But where? There is a danger of the Mayfields option at Sayers Common being promoted as an easy choice. Whatever the option, these numbers could mean concreting over the local countryside on an unprecedented scale.

And those not housed around Crawley will add to already heaving trains on the main rail line, and add to congestion and pollution on the A23/M23.

No new infrastructure is proposed by GAL

There are no costs to provide additional ‘surface travel’ infrastructure in the budget and so the GAL second runway appears much cheaper than Heathrow. Easy, ignore the problem and the cost plummets.

We now have the opportunity to voice our opposition to Gatwick Airport’s terrifying plans for our communities, by responding to their “public consultation”.

Responding to the consultation? Be careful!

This consultation will be part of GAL’s evidence to the Davies Commission, who will advise the Government which airport option they should proceed with. GAL already claim that, unlike Heathrow, they have local support. They cite the Leaders of West Sussex County Council, Cllr Mrs Louise Goldsmith, and of Eastbourne Borough Council.

The consultation is a PR exercise

The purpose of this consultation is to enable GAL to provide statistics that ‘show’ that there is very little opposition to the second runway. Some of this they hope can be achieved in the way that their questionnaire is phrased.

Leading questions are posed so that you are asked to indicate which choices between their three options you prefer. When answering they hope that respondents will indicate a preference of one runway option over the others. Don’t fall for it.

Resistance is not futile!

So GAL’s consultation exercise is designed to force you into supporting their expansion plans.

But it is possible

• to show your concern for the social and environmental impacts (Questions A1 and A2)
• while not answering their biased questions (A3, A4, A6, B1, C1).

Most importantly, if you respond to the online consultation –

Make sure to SELECT OPTION 3 under question D1 - NONE OF THESE OPTIONS.

Respond to the consultation here.

Don’t be bamboozled or intimidated by the millions GAL are spending on PR. Millions that would have been better spent on providing some proper evidence to show how their scheme might or might not work.

There’s no need for a new runway at Gatwick, and it’s up to all of us to show our opposition. Numbers do count!

If past experience is anything to go by GAL will only quote those who have actively opposed their scheme – everyone else, including those who do not respond, they say are not opposed.

Opponents at Heathrow will be shouting their opposition – if we don’t do this then our voice will be drowned out and Gatwick could become the least difficult option – which GAL have helpfully suggested is half the price and requires no Government money – and which WSCC has just added its enthusiastic support. We say there is no need for a devastating new runway anywhere in the UK, there is plenty of runway space already available.

JUST SAY NO!

You can also respond by e-mail in your own words to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Why not show your support? Download and print off one or more of our posters or window leaflets and let people know what you think about the Gatwick proposals. See below. 

This talk and tour took place in March 2014. Photos from the tour are in the gallery below.

Photos from the CPRE Sussex visit to Peacehaven Wastewater Treatment Facility on 9 April are below.